'Hypocrite' comic rapped

A FORMER soldier who lost the use of his legs in a mine clearing accident has criticised Cockney comic Jim Davidson's attitude towards the disabled after he caused a furore by refusing to perform in front of group of wheelchair users.

A FORMER soldier who lost the use of his legs in a mine clearing accident has criticised Cockney comic Jim Davidson's attitude towards the disabled after he caused a furore by refusing to perform in front of group of wheelchair users.

Brendan Campbell of Loughor, Swansea, was injured while clearing mines in Kuwait with the Royal Engineers in 1991.

He is now secretary of Swansea Access For Everyone (Safe), an organisation which campaigns for easier access for wheelchair users, the elderly, blind people and other minority groups.

Mr Campbell said Davidson's refusal to tread the boards at a Plymouth Theatre on Monday because there were "too many" wheelchair users in the front row was disgusting.

Davidson said on visiting Swansea's Grand Theatre on Tuesday night that "half his show" involved jokes about disabled people.

He said, "The first 20 minutes involves taking the micky out of people on the front row.

"As they were all in wheelchairs it would seem the whole show was anti-disabled."

When the wheelchair users refused to move from the front row Davidson pulled out of the show at the Plymouth Pavilions.

Mr Campbell said yesterday, "Funnily enough when I was a squaddie in Belize, Jim Davidson did a free show for us.

"It is ironic that he flew thousands of miles to do a show for me as a squaddie.

"But if I had been one of those people in the front row at Plymouth he would have asked me to leave - that's quite hypocritical.

"He used to tell jokes about the Irish and about black people at the start of his career but now he says that was just ironic.

"I suppose the BNP is an ironic political party too.

"It's quite clear that he was wrong and treated people in a discriminatory way just because they were disabled.

"I don't remember him asking black people or Irish people to move from the front of his show for the Army."